When the BioMass Hits the Wind Turbine

#114 - Socially Responsible Investing

Every dollar you spend is a vote. Every dollar you invest or save is also a vote.

How can you make sure that the companies you support also support an agenda and a world vision that you agree with? And just what should you look for when trying to decide where to place your money?

Join Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station as they speak with Michelle Wilson, Financial Planner and owner of Athens Impact Socially Responsible Investments as they discuss the evils and advantages of money.

121 – Agrarian Land Trusts

The average age of an American farmer is 65. More and more farmland is transitioned to other purposes, such as condos, suburban homes, or commercial properties. Each year we loose about 400,000 acres to development. So how can we reverse this trend.

Join Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station as they speak with Ian McSweeney, organizational director of the Agrarian Trust, and organization that seeks to transform the ownership of land using the Agrarian Commons model – transitioning vast tracks of privately held land to a non-profit community status and encouraging new farmers into the field - bringing a sense of equity and purpose to those involved in agriculture.

118 – Preppers

The world is teetering on the edge of disaster. The Great Depression – the Cold War – 9-11 – Katrina – the 2008 Economic Meltdown – Covid...

Doesn't it make sense to build yourself a bunker, stock it with beans and ammunition, and wait out the Zombie Apocalypse? Is that what it means to be a “prepper.” Or is it just a common sense approach to have the skills and supplies on hand to deal with whatever emergency may come your way?

Join Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station as they discuss the realities of living a sustainable life.

146 – the Environmental Impact of Lawns

Ah, the suburban dream. A lush, freshly cut lawn stretching as far as the eye can see. But as far as the planet is concerned, that lawn is an ecological disaster, a toxic polluting wasteland devoid of biodiversity.

Join Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station for a discussion of the resources consumed and the environmental problems unleashed when we pursue the perfect lawn. And what are some alternatives that are a bit gentler on Mother Earth?

#115 – Becoming a Flexitrian

The raising of livestock is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas. 

Our industrial meat production processes are cruel and inhumane to the animals as well as the people who work within the system.

The over-eating of meat is a major contributor to the decline in health of the planet's population.

So why not change things up a bit?

Flexitarian is the new buzzword for those who have decided to give up a bit of meat, use meat substitutes, and generally try for a bit of moderation in their diet.  

Join Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station for a discussion of the various challenges and complexities of living a sustainable life.

151 – Utility Scale Solar

Huge solar arrays are beginning to dot the landscape - sometimes 300 acres of them spreading out across farmland and next to highways. So what is happening? What are the dynamics that are changing the utility landscape, closing coal and natural gas power plants and replacing them with acres of solar? And is this all a good thing?

 

Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station are joined by Jake Kuss, assistant director of the Utility Scale Solar Energy Coalition of Ohio for a discussion on utility-scale solar and how it will change the way we get energy for decades to come.

193 - Building a Sustainable Community

Social media, virtual reality and the advent of artificial intelligence will push us and our society more and more towards being alone – together.  A sense of isolation has become a reality for a large portion of the population.  We were not meant to live this way.  We are social creatures.

Join Jay and Annie Warmke of Blue Rock Station for a discussion of how each of us can work to build a sustainable community where we live.

108 – The Doula of Death

When we give birth, it is generally with the help of a midwife or a doctor who has been through the process before and knows what to do and what to say to ease us through what is, after all, a natural process. So why is it not the same with death?

In the not-so-long-ago past, death was a community affair. Friends and relatives would take charge of the process, assisting the dying, helping those that would be left behind – explaining the process, washing the body, arranging for the remains.

Join Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station as they speak with Donna Baker, founder of Columbus Community Deathcare. She is an INELDA-trained Death Doula, hoping to revive some of the ancient rituals and practices that made the process of death a much more normal part of life.

122 – Electrify Everything

How can we reach a world where energy generation is carbon free?  One solution being proposed is to electrify everything.

First it must be understood that electricity currently only accounts for about 1/3 or all the energy we use - the rest is used in transportation (oil products) and industry (primarily natural gas). 

So this two-step solution envisions an electrical grid composed of renewable generation - and all energy, for buildings, vehicles and industry - powered by this renewable grid.

Join Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station for a discussion of this vision - what are its goals and are those goal achievable?

045 – Creating a Non-Profit Homestead

Many of us dream of chucking it all and moving out into the country, living the idyllic life on a small homestead. But then there is that nasty reality of having to make a living.

 

Well, one option is to set up your business and property and create a non-profit homestead – opening it up as a learning center for others who have the same dream.

 

Join Annie and Jay Warmke of Blue Rock Station for a discussion of the realities of sustainable living, speaking today with Claire Orner, owner of Quiet Creek Herb Farm and School of Country Living – located in Brookville, PA